Scientists turned red lettuce green and something surprising happened

Scientists Turned Red Lettuce Green - And Something Surprising Happened

Image Courtesy: University of Tsukuba Scientists have successfully transformed red leaf lettuce into green lettuce using genome editing, and the change led to an unexpected boost in other potentially beneficial plant compounds without affecting the crop’s growth. The research focused on anthocyanins, the pigments responsible for the deep red color of red lettuce. These compounds […] The post Scientists Turned Red Lettuce Green – And Something Su…

Scientists turned red lettuce green and something surprising happened

The red color of red leaf lettuce comes from anthocyanins, a group of polyphenol pigments that have attracted attention for their antioxidant properties. Plants produce anthocyanins through a series of enzyme driven reactions that begin with the amino acid phenylalanine. Along the way, the pathway…